Summer Blockbustershttp://www.adweek.com/taxonomy/term/15771/all
enMinions Inspire Love and Hatred With Their Marketing Run Amokhttp://www.adweek.com/news/technology/minions-inspire-love-and-hatred-their-marketing-run-amok-165824
Garett Sloane, Alfred Maskeroni<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/2015_Jun/amazon-minion-box-hed-2015.jpg"> <p>
It was all bound to happen because that&#39;s how the Internet works: First we prop big sensations up, and then we revel in their downfall. And that&#39;s exactly what has gone down&mdash;already&mdash;with the Minions movie, even though it premieres in the United States today.</p>
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Oh, those Minions have a lot of fans, and Fandango said the film is tracking&mdash;in terms of pre-sale tickets&mdash;better than any animated flick this year. But while the Universal Pictures movie starring these virtual creatures is set to top $100 million this opening weekend, there is a growing backlash against Minions.</p>
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The publicity machine for the little yellow, pill-shaped monsters has been in overdrive&mdash;just read BuzzFeed for the <a href="https://www.google.com/#safe=off&amp;q=Minions%2C+BuzzFeed" target="_blank">countless number</a>&nbsp;of Minion-related Internet items. But sign into Reddit, and you&#39;ll find a group of almost 15,600 people dedicated to Minion haters. Reddit, the user-powered website, lets anyone set up a subreddit dedicated to specific topics, and <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/minionhate" target="_blank">MinionHate</a> is now one of them.</p>
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And some moms and dads aren&#39;t even cool with the cute little Minions: <a href="http://www.avclub.com/article/parents-outraged-mcdonalds-minions-toys-swear-thei-222002?utm_source=Twitter&amp;utm_medium=SocialMarketing&amp;utm_campaign=Default:1:Default" target="_blank">Parents are complaining that a Minions toy from McDonald&#39;s swears </a>when played with, saying &quot;WTF.&quot; (Of course, the characters speaks gibberish, so it&#39;s unlikely an actual curse was spoken here, but judge for yourself below.)</p>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="367" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tEnPYxFP9Vc" width="652"></iframe></p>
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The resistance to the rise of the Minions was inevitable, because they are everywhere, from <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/will-ads-shipping-boxes-be-key-amazons-profitability-165232" target="_blank">Amazon packaging</a> to billboards to Internet memes.</p>
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BuzzFeed has <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/heasleycp/30-facts-you-didnt-know-about-minions-rnd3#.dpDbRx02w" target="_blank">exhaustive coverage of the things,</a> and the site is not even being paid to keep the publicity going.</p>
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&quot;BuzzFeed has always made posts that have to do with what the zeitgeist of the Internet is at whatever moment, and right now, that&#39;s Minions,&quot; said Katie Notopolous, a senior editor and resident Minions expert at BuzzFeed, in an email to Adweek. &quot;Specifically, there&#39;s an ironic backlash on the Internet against the really overwhelming marketing campaign that makes it seem like Minions are everywhere.&quot;</p>
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The subreddit MinionHate is the perfect expression of the changing attitude. Its profile reads: &quot;Minions are a marketing ploy first introduced in 2010. They are now the Facebook mascots of seventh graders, way2random girls, grandmothers and generally obnoxious people.&quot;&nbsp;</p>
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And the creators might be on to something. <a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/7qeatt/jon-hamm" target="_blank">Jon Hamm, who provides a voice in the movie, was recently on Comedy Central&#39;s The Daily Show</a> and said, &quot;I think these guys, these little Minions, are scientifically designed to be appealing to children.&quot;</p>
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They are the perfect marketing creation, and are being used as such. They&#39;re not only all over McDonald&#39;s physical and digital promos&mdash;they also have their own Jell-O product and appear on Twinkies, bananas and Tic Tacs. And basically anything yellow.</p>
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Thanks partly to such tie-ins, <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/pitch-perfect-2-displays-strong-social-game-snapchat-instagram-164761" target="_blank">Universal Pictures</a> can almost sit back and watch the Internet take over.</p>
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&quot;There&#39;s also the fact that for a while now, Minions have become the default in this sort of shitty world of Mom memes, and the Internet is reacting to that,&quot; BuzzFeed&#39;s Notopolous said.</p>
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There is still little doubt of Minions&#39; success come show time this weekend. The movie already took in more than $100 million overseas, and a YouTube measurement firm said Minions clips have gotten more views than any other summer blockbuster on the video site except Jurassic World, the movie with the best box-office opening of all time.</p>
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The data company Zefr said mostly fans have uploaded 26,000 videos to YouTube featuring Minions, generating 653 million views in all. The trailer alone has 220 million views, the company said.</p>
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Finally, here&#39;s a look at some of that Minions marketing:</p>
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This Twinkies-Minion packaging is brilliant. The Twinkies look like little Minions. <a href="http://t.co/2VJxSUJwVg">pic.twitter.com/2VJxSUJwVg</a></p>
&mdash; jeffshelman (@jeffshelman) <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffshelman/status/619218717218615300">July 9, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Kevin here! Show me your pack of Minions Tic Tac! I reaaaaally want to see them! :) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tictacglobal?src=hash">#tictacglobal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tictacminions?src=hash">#tictacminions</a> <a href="http://t.co/ex9GprVFIY">pic.twitter.com/ex9GprVFIY</a></p>
&mdash; Tic Tac (@tictacglobal) <a href="https://twitter.com/tictacglobal/status/618026670100844545">July 6, 2015</a></blockquote>
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You and your little supervillains can make your own <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Minions?src=hash">#Minions</a>! See Minions, jiggling into theaters July 10th! <a href="http://t.co/0KsyEsdPCS">pic.twitter.com/0KsyEsdPCS</a></p>
&mdash; JELL-O (@JELLO) <a href="https://twitter.com/JELLO/status/618751398243536896">July 8, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
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Pre fireworks snack(ish) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kraftmacandcheese?src=hash">#kraftmacandcheese</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kraft?src=hash">#kraft</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/macandcheese?src=hash">#macandcheese</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/goodstuff?src=hash">#goodstuff</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/minions?src=hash">#minions</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/minionsaretakingover?src=hash">#minionsaretakingover</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/4thofju?src=hash">#4thofju</a>&hellip; <a href="http://t.co/J7PcVu2xdq">pic.twitter.com/J7PcVu2xdq</a></p>
&mdash; Bernadette Callahan (@AimlessMoments) <a href="https://twitter.com/AimlessMoments/status/617437811462012928">July 4, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Amazon minion boxes! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/fba?src=hash">#fba</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/amazon?src=hash">#amazon</a> <a href="http://t.co/pfXNcgt5YJ">pic.twitter.com/pfXNcgt5YJ</a></p>
&mdash; Brad Williams (@bwilliams210) <a href="https://twitter.com/bwilliams210/status/616367691893374976">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>TechnologyDespicable MeDigital marketingJell-OKraftMcDonald'sGarett Sloane, Alfred MaskeroniRedditSocialSummer BlockbustersTic TacTwinkiesTwitterTwitterUniversal PicturesFri, 10 Jul 2015 14:38:38 +0000165824 at http://www.adweek.comDoes Every Summer Blockbuster Trailer Plug the Exact Same Movie? [Video]http://www.adweek.com/video/advertising-branding/does-every-summer-blockbuster-trailer-plug-exact-same-movie-video-156270
<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/screen_shot_2014-03-17_at_1.36.28_pm.png"> <p>
If it sometimes seems as though summer blockbuster trailers use the same tricks to advertise what seem to be the exact same movie over and over again, that&#39;s because they do. The trailers for Captain America: Winter Soldier, Godzilla, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Amazing Spiderman and Jupiter Ascending all hit the same highs and lows, have the same rhythm and beats, and as this 90-second supercut shows, match massive explosions to intense gazes with plodding predictability. Check this out and you will have even less of a reason to look up from your phone before the movie proper begins.</p>
Advertising & BrandingAdweek OriginalCaptain America: Winter SoldierGodzillaGuardians of the GalaxyJupiter AscendingThe Amazing Spiderman 2Trailer MashTransformers: Age of ExtinctionX-Man: Days of Future PastTue, 18 Mar 2014 14:28:34 +0000156270 at http://www.adweek.comMarketers Have Found a Way to Use Vinehttp://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/marketers-have-found-way-use-vine-150234
Christopher Heine<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/tt-monsters-inc-hed-2013.jpg"> <p>
Marketers pushing summer blockbusters are aggressively seeding Vine, Twitter&rsquo;s nascent mobile app for six-second videos, into their social media fieldwork.</p>
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For instance, Regal Entertainment Group this week plans to promote <a href="http://monstersuniversity.com/edu/" target="_blank">Monsters University</a> and <a href="http://www.worldwarzmovie.com/" target="_blank">World War Z</a> (each opening Friday) with <a href="https://vine.co/" target="_blank">Vine</a>, which, according to Twitter, has been downloaded by 13 million iPhone owners (it became available to Android users only a few weeks ago). The 572-location cinema chain will launch a similar initiative to support next week&rsquo;s White House Down premiere.</p>
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It&rsquo;s all about putting butts in seats using Vine&rsquo;s pithy videos, then selling soda and candy (theater owners&rsquo; bread and butter) during the flicks.</p>
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&ldquo;The limitations of six seconds can actually lift the storytelling,&rdquo; explained Gabrielle Kessler, accounts manager for <a href="http://somethingmassive.com/‎" target="_blank">Something Massive</a>, which manages social media for Regal. &ldquo;You get to home in on those emotionally engaging moments that both marketers and filmmakers are after,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;We are really encouraged with the engagement the app is producing so far.&rdquo;</p>
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<a href="http://seenive.com/u/921896008126959616" target="_blank">Regal</a> is working with <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/regal-cinemas-and-coca-cola-announce-exclusive-beverage-partnership-new-agreement-puts-coca-cola-at-top-of-cinema-channel-76857567.html" target="_blank">partners Coca-Cola</a> and Red Vines licorice to reach consumers via Vine, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social nets. Kessler said the partners will amplify their &ldquo;shared marketing goals through each others&rsquo; networks.&rdquo;</p>
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<a href="http://www.redvines.com/" target="_blank">Red Vines</a>, part of American Licorice Co., has run roughly 20 Vine ads since Twitter debuted the app in late January, seeing click-through rates of as much as 3 percent. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an interesting way to get people thinking about buying our licorice before they go to the movie,&rdquo; said John Dempsey, a rep for the company.</p>
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The brand will also use Vine to foster awareness around the Independence Day holiday.</p>
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Noting the brief videos require more of a consumer&rsquo;s attention than mere tweets or Instagram snaps, Dempsey said Vine &ldquo;has brought our brand top of mind with people who hadn&rsquo;t thought of us in years.&rdquo; The company also believes Vine boosts sales.</p>
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<a href="http://ilovepeanutbutter.com/‎" target="_blank">Peanut Butter &amp; Co. </a>shares a Vine-based strategy for Fourth of July. The brand promises an &ldquo;edible fireworks show&rdquo; via the app with a buy-one-get-one-free coupon offer for jars of peanut butter. A similar effort in April produced 300,000 impressions and 6,000 coupon downloads, according to the company.</p>
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&ldquo;With Fourth of July fireworks, there are opportunities to do fun things with peanut butter,&rdquo; said Lee Zalben, president.</p>
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And with Vine, the summer fun could very well spread.</p>
Advertising & BrandingTechnologyMarketingFourth of JulyInstagramMagazine ContentChristopher HeineMoviesRed VinesRegal EntertainmentSocial MediaSummer BlockbustersTwitterVineMon, 17 Jun 2013 02:05:08 +0000150234 at http://www.adweek.com